Acute Percussive Massage Device Use Does Not Improve Anaerobic Performance

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of acute percussive massage (PM) on anaerobic performance. Twenty-nine collegiate athletes (16 men, 13 women) between the ages of 18 and 22 participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the PM group (PMG) or a resting control group (CG). All subjects completed three Wingate Anaerobic tests (WAnT) against 8% of their body mass, with each test separated by 3 minutes of rest. During the 3 minutes of rest, the intervention group had PM applied to the quadriceps and hamstrings on each leg for 30 seconds each while the CG rested passively for the full three-minute period, lying supine and prone for 1 minute each, mimicking the body position during the rest period in the PMG. For both groups, there was a significant main effect for time over the three WAnTs on peak power (F(2,50) = 36.69, p < 0.01, η² = .595) mean power (F(2,48) = 147.85, p < 0.01, η² = .860), and fatigue index (F(2,48) = 9.464, p < 0.01, η² = .283). No group differences were observed between the PMG and CG (p > 0.05). These findings show that acute PM does not improve anaerobic performance or delay fatigue more than passive rest.